Almost every young person signs contracts long before they think of themselves as someone who signs contracts. Tapping "I agree" on an app, starting a free trial, joining a gym, or getting a phone on a family plan are all agreements. The law treats agreements made by minors as a special case, and the rule is more interesting, and more limited, than the version that circulates in school hallways.
The general rule: voidable, not void
In most states, a contract signed by someone under eighteen is generally voidable by the minor. That means the minor can usually choose to cancel it, a step often called disaffirming. It does not mean the contract never existed, and it does not mean the other side can walk away — the adult party is normally still bound.
The purpose is protection: it exists so that young people are not permanently locked into agreements they were not in a strong position to evaluate. It is a shield, not a strategy.
The exceptions matter more than the rule
The voidability rule has significant carve-outs, and they vary by state. Contracts for necessities — commonly food, shelter, basic medical care, and sometimes clothing — are typically enforceable, so that people will still provide those things to a young person. Many states also enforce contracts for education loans, certain banking arrangements, and enlistment.
Disaffirming is also not consequence-free. States differ on what a minor must return, and whether they owe anything for value already used. And if an adult co-signed, that adult is usually fully on the hook regardless of what the minor does. The practical version of this rule is: it may protect you from being trapped, and it will not protect the adult who signed with you.
Free trials, auto-renewal, and the cancel button
The most common money problem young people actually run into is not a dramatic contract; it is a subscription that renews. Federal and state consumer-protection rules generally require that recurring charges be disclosed clearly before you agree, and a number of states have specific automatic-renewal statutes requiring clear notice and a straightforward way to cancel.
The habit that prevents almost all of this: when you start a free trial, set a reminder for two days before it ends, and find the cancellation path immediately rather than when you need it. If a service makes cancelling genuinely difficult, that itself may be a consumer-protection issue worth reporting.
Your money from a job is usually yours
Wages earned by a working teenager generally belong to that teenager, and federal law requires that wages be paid — an employer cannot hold them because of the worker's age. Some states have rules about accounts for minors, and most banks require an adult co-owner on an account for someone under eighteen, which is a banking practice rather than a limit on who owns the money.
One narrow but important exception exists for child performers: several states have laws requiring a portion of a minor performer's earnings to be set aside in a protected trust account.
请记住
- Contracts signed by minors are generally voidable by the minor, while the adult party usually stays bound.
- Necessities, and in many states student loans and enlistment, are common exceptions that stay enforceable.
- A co-signing adult is normally fully liable no matter what the minor does.
- Find the cancellation path when you start a free trial, not when the charge appears.
资料来源
本文提供的是一般教育信息，不是针对个人的法律意见。KidsKnowRights 不是律师事务所，阅读本文不会建立律师与当事人的关系。法律因州、年龄和具体情况而异，也会随时间变化。如需针对真实情况的建议，请咨询持照律师或法律援助机构。